“Words were not things you could control. Not always.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Control Copy Share Image
“The problem with my life was that it was someone else’s idea.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Idea Copy Share Image
“People don't always have to do the right thing for the right reasons—so long as they do the right thing.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“There was something about the sound of a man in pain that resembled the sound of a wounded animal.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Animals Copy Share Image
“I wondered what it was like, to hold someone's hand. I bet you could find all the mysteries of the universe in… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“It was good to laugh. I wanted to laugh and laugh and laugh until I laughed myself into becoming someone else.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Comedy Copy Share Image
“Maybe everybody was kind. Maybe even my father. But Mr. Quintana was brave. He didn’t care if the whole world knew he… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Parenting Copy Share Image
“Dante and I were the last two boys in America who grew up without television.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Boys Copy Share Image
“People have parties because they’re sad. They think a party will make them happy.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Parties Copy Share Image
“The problem with trying hard not to think about something was that you thought about it even more.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“I renamed myself Ari. If I switched the letter, my name was Air. I thought it might be a great thing to… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“I’m not a good kid. Yeah, look, I’m just a piece of paper with the word sad and a bunch of cuss… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“See, the thing about that word, Sharkey, the F-word, is that sometimes I make that word do too much work. I mean,… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“What do you love, Ari? What do you really love?" "I love the desert. God, I love the desert." "It's so lonely."… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Dante Copy Share Image
Absent parents aren't abusive per se. They're neglectful. They love in a very imperfect way. There are parents like that, and they… — Benjamin Alire Saenz Copy Share Image
“Rafael?” ”Yeah?” „Do we all have monsters?” „Yes.” „Why does God give us so many monsters?” „You want to know my theory?”… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz God Copy Share Image
“I guess I did miss Dante-even though I tried hard to not think about him. The problem with trying hard not to… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Ari Copy Share Image
“..and then it started hailing. It was so beautiful and scary, I wondered about the science of storms and how sometimes it… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“It looked like it was going to rain. They always came this time of year, the rains. I heard the distant thunder.… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Rain Copy Share Image
“I sometimes think that I don't let myself know what I'm really thinking about. That doesn't make much sense but it makes… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Dream Copy Share Image
“Words exist only in theory. And then one ordinary day you run into a word that exists only in theory. And you… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Face to face Copy Share Image
“I like the sketch,' I said. 'Why?' 'Because it looks just like my chair.' 'Is that the only reason?' 'It holds something,'… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Emotion Copy Share Image
“See that tree?" It was a stubby cypress tree, all bent and twisted. "Yeah, I see it." "It's my favorite tree." "It's… — Benjamin Alire Saenz Trees Copy Share Image
“I lived in pain because I chose to live in pain. Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with the idea… — Benjamin Alire Saenz Life Copy Share Image
“Because he said it as if he was the first human being who'd ever noticed. Maybe that's why so many people trusted… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Speech Copy Share Image
“Sometimes parents loved their sons so much that they made a romance out of their lives. They thought our youth could help… — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Parenting Copy Share Image
“I like the old words better. They're like old friends.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Friendship Copy Share Image
“Wow, a world without darkness. How beautiful is that?” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Beautiful Copy Share Image
“Maybe I’d always had the wrong idea as to who I really was.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Copy Share Image
“. . . Alive is a place. Alive is the new word for home.” — Benjamin Alire Sáenz Alive Copy Share Image
![“I lived in pain because I chose to live in pain. Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with the idea of tragedy, the idea that I was destined to live a tragic life. I had this romantic idea about the life of a writer and what he was supposed to suffer. [...:] Somehow I made my own pain a kind…” quote by Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/988/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_life_i-lived-in-pain-because-i-chose-to-live_1560783.png)
